Lord and Miller are just coming off a major hit The Lego Movie, and also previously had success with their live-action debut, 21 Jump Street. They’d seem a good team to take on the movie, although at the moment it’s more rumour than reality, partly because some are sceptical of Finke’s sources, as she’s had few scoops since her acrimonious split from the site she founded, Deadline.com – which is coincidentally (or not) the site Reitman chose to talk to about leaving Ghostbusters.

The latest suggestion about Ghostbusters 3 is that the likes of Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, will have extended cameos, but it will largely be a new generation, who will hopefully relaunch the franchise. It’s not known if the recent death of Harold Ramis may lure Bill Murray back into the fold.

Following the death of Harold Ramis, director Ivan Reitman has decided to step aside from helming the long-gestating Ghostbusters 3. However that’s not the end of the project, as Reitman is staying onboard as a producer, with Sony hoping to shoot the film in early 2015.

Sony chief Amy Pascal is now searching for a new director who can take the franchise in a fresh direction that will completely reboot the film series.

Sony has previously considered moving forward with Reitman, with a movie that focussed more on a new generation than the old, however Ivan stayed onboard (partly because contracts signed by him and the cast in the 1980s gave him and the cast vetoes. However without Ramis he’s decided things should change.

Even so it’s still hoped Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver and Ernie Hudson will be back.

Reitman told Deadline, “There has been all kinds of stuff, unofficially written about Ghostbusters. I’ve been reading things online for about four years, speculation on who’s writing, what they’re writing, who’s in it, who we will use, and who’s directing. We’d decided not to comment up till now, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, and it was never clear what Bill was going to do. A lot of things happened in the last few months, the most significant of which was the passing of Harold, who was a very good friend who was extraordinarily influential in my career. We did five movies together including both Ghostbusters.”

As for the various different Ghostbusters 3 scripts that have been floating around, he says, “The first was done by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and me, Harold and Dan helped them on it. It was a really good script, but then it became clear that Bill really didn’t want to do another Ghostbusters and that it was literally impossible to find him to speak to for the year or two we tried to get it going. When Bill finally…well, he never actually said no, but he never said yes, so there was no way to make that film. We decided to start over again, and I started working with Etan Cohen, with Dan Aykroyd lending a helping hand. Harold got sick about three years ago, and we kept hoping he would get better. I kept pushing forward on the Etan Cohen and we now have a draft that is very good, that the studio is very excited about.

“It’s a version of Ghostbusters that has the originals in a very minor role. When I came back from Harold’s funeral, it was really moving and it made me think about a lot of things. I’d just finished directing Draft Day, which I’m really happy with and proud of. Working on a film that is smaller and more dramatic was so much fun and satisfying. I just finally met with Amy Pascal and Doug Belgrad when I got back. I said I’d been thinking about it for weeks, that I’d rather just produce this Ghostbusters. I told them I thought I could help but let’s find a really good director and make it with him. So that’s what we’ve agreed will happen. I didn’t want all kinds of speculation about what happened with me, that is the real story.”

As for who will take over, “I’m not going to say how many Ghostbusters there will be in the new cast, but we are determined to retain the spirit of the original film, and I am pleased that all of this seems to have happened organically. I’m hoping we can get started by the fall, set in New York, but given the logistics and the stuff that happens, the beginning of 2015 seems more likely.”

With the news that Harold Ramis died, many thought that would be the end of the long-gestating and perennially in-development Ghostbusters 3 (although Ramis’ long illness, which he hoped to recover from, may have been one of the reasons it hasn’t moved forward before now, as he would have been unable to participate).

However THR reports that Sony Pictures and director Ivan Reitman are still hoping to move forward with the movie, although there will now have to be a rewrite to take into account Ramis’ passing and the fact he will no longer he able to appear.

Last November it was reported that Sony was planning to start production this spring in Cleveland, Ohio, although script issues had already pushed that back (you would think after more than five years they’d have something great by now). Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, have been working on the script, and will now have to make some revisions.

While it was believed Bill Murray had refused to return as Peter Venkman, some hope Ramis’ death might act as a catalyst to get him to change his mind. It’s also being suggested the other original stars may even be willing to take lower salaries in order to get the sequel off the ground.

During his 80s and 90s heyday, you couldn’t keep Kevin Costner away from films about sports, such as Bull Durham, Tin Cup and For The Love Of The Game. We haven’t had one for a few years but now he’s back in the sports arena with Draft Day. While it’s usually massive effect-filled movies that get Super Bowl TV ads, it certainly makes sense for Draft Day to have, even if they are believed to cost $4 million for 30 seconds this year.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘On the day of the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.’

Ivan Reitman directs the film, which is due out in April. [Read more…]

During his 80s and 90s heyday, you couldn’t keep Kevin Costner away from films about sports, such as Bull Durham, Tin Cup and For The Love Of The Game. We haven’t had one for a few years but now he’s back in the sports arena with Draft Day, which has released a poster and a trailer.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘On the day of the NFL Draft, general manager Sonny Weaver (Costner) has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. He must quickly decide what he’s willing to sacrifice in pursuit of perfection as the lines between his personal and professional life become blurred on a life-changing day for a few hundred young men with dreams of playing in the NFL.’

Ivan Reitman directs the film, which is due out in April. [Read more…]

Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day may have already started shooting, but it’s still adding new cast members, as Smallville star Tom Welling has joined the movie, according to Deadline.

In the movie, Kevin Costner plays the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, who tries to trade up to get the top pick in the NFL Draft. Tom Welling will play veteran NFL quarterback Brian Drew, who is at a crossroads in his playing career. Jennifer Garner, Ellen Burstyn, Denis Leary, Frank Langella, and Chadwick Boseman also star.

Ivan Reitman is directing from a screenplay by Rajiv Joseph, which landed the top spot on the Black List last year.

It’s good news for Welling, who had great success with Smallville, but hasn’t been in a movie since The Fog and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 in 2005, although he did recently shoot a supporting role in the upcoming drama Parkland.

Chadwick Boseman’s star has risen significantly in the last couple of weeks, thanks to his lead role as Jackie Robinson in 42. Now he’s got a new part, and he’s sticking with sports, as THR reports he’s is in talks to join Kevin Costner in Draft Day. The trade also adds that veteran actress Ellen Burstyn is set to star too.

Kevin Costner will play the general manager of a struggling NFL team, who grapples with his personal and professional choices one day before the NFL American Football draft. Chadwick Boseman will play the integral role of a linebacker from Louisiana, whose entire livelihood depends on his selection in the draft. Burstyn meanwhile will play Costner’s mother, whose football coach husband recently passed away. Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, and Frank Langella are also attached to star.

Ivan Reitman is directing from a screenplay by Rajiv Joseph, which landed the top spot on the 2012 Black List. Production is scheduled to begin this week in New York, where they will capture actual footage from this year’s NFL Draft, before moving on to continue shooting in Cleveland.

Jennifer Garner spends more time being a mom than an actress nowadays, but when she finds a project she likes, she’s more than happy to sign on. Now she’s in talks to star alongside Kevin Costner in the upcoming football drama Draft Day, according to Variety.

Kevin Costner is set to star as the general manager of an American football team, who’s struggling to find the right player to select with their top overall pick. Jennifer Garner will play Costner’s secretary.

Ivan Reitman is directing from a screenplay by Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman. The project was initially set up at Paramount, but the option ran out and the studio put it into turnaround. When the script landed the top spot on the 2012 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays, Summit Entertainment entered negotiations for the distribution rights, and Kevin Costner became attached. it hasn’t been announced when it will shoot.

For years now there have been rumours, plans and speculation about a third Ghostbusters movie, but the film has been constantly held up, largely due to Bill Murray’s reluctance to return. However while he recently finally decided not to be part of the movie at all, he did give the necessary permission for things to move forward without him (Murray, Da Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and director Ivan Reitman all have veto power over sequels).

Now, buried in a Deadline report about Reitman’s Kevin Costner starring film Draft Day being put on hold is the news that Ghostbusters 3 may finally shoot summer 2013. Draft Day was delayed because Costner is too busy on Paramount projects (Jack Ryan, Without Remorse etc.), and there won’t be time to shoot the movie before Sony hopes to get the proton pack back on next summer.

Assuming it all works out (which is a big assumption where this film’s rocky road to the screen is concerned) Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver are all coming back to teach a new generation of Ghostbusters the ropes of the profession.

Ivan Reitman seems to have realised Ghostbusters 3 either isn’t going to happen or is still a long way off, as he’s now found something to direct in the meantime. Paramount Pictures has picked up Rajiv Joseph and Scott Rothman’s screenplay Draft Day, with Reitman attached to direct.

The American football comedy is about the struggling Buffalo Bills NFL football team, focussing on their general manager trying to find a star player in the upcoming draft. Rajiv Joseph currently writes for the Showtime series Nurse Jackie, and Scott Rothman has a number of projects in development, including First Timers and Frat Boy. Both writers were classmates at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.